Turkey fryer burner and a pot that’s big enough.

 

Yes thats what we use

 

I can't believe you boiled them in the house,haha. Get a turkey fryer,it is a big pot on a tripod powered by propane. I think they are well under 100.

 

Buck Boiler. Works great. Check Amazon. Don't over boil it.

 

Just went to Amazon to check it out. Looked at the reviews. Seems to have quite a few people unsatisfied as the heating element burns out quite often.

 

A turkey fryer setup. Doesn’t get better for single skulls. Possibly could do two at once.

 

 

Simmer, not boil!

 

I’ve tried the kitchen oven too but that didn’t last long, lol. Have also used a turkey fryer as well as a pot over a bonfire. Turkey fryer for me from here on out. Simmer, scrape, rinse, repeat…

 

Simmer, then pressure wash is an easy method.
Maceration is even easier, but repulsive.

 

Anyone have tricks for keeping the water at the right level? On the few I've tried it seems I always have either a bit of antler in and it bleaches out or it's not quite high enough.

 

2x4 across the pot, supporting the antlers so skull remains level.

What’s in the water that is bleaching the bases?

 

Learning from my ole lady who is a taxidermist wrap the base and tines about half way up the rack tightly with seran wrap and then wrap in electric tape on top of that to prevent my bleaching of the rack. Make sure you have the head fleshed out the best you can and let it simmer NOT boil. Add a mixture of Dawn soap and oxyclean. Should take anywhere from 3-5 hrs. Power wash every 30min-hour

 

This to a T is how I have done it for years. I whiten with hair peroxide 40cream for last step tho. I change water out and bring to hot then turn off. Add 3 cups of peroxide 40 and let skull soak in for 40 mins. Make sure you seran wrap and tape bases off good. Will prevent bleaching.

 

Thanks everyone! Very helpful!

 

Schedule 40 after to whiten it up, some hair salon product. I wrap the bases with saran wrap also.

 

Salon Care 40
Brush on, cover skull in wet paper towels and then put skull in a cardboard box with a hairdryer pumping warm/hot air into box.
The Salon Care 40 needs heat to whiten properly.

 

Much the same as everyone else here, but I use a shallow canner rather than that deep pot. It takes a lot less water and boils faster. Usually about 4 hours on a slow rolling boil, adding Dawn and skimming periodically. Then a pressure washer cleans them up nicely.

 

Stupid question, but does anyone start the boiling/simmering process before cutting the fur off ? I have always gotten a knife, and cut the fire and some of the meat off, the. I boiled/simmered it.

 

5 hour boiling with 1 cup of salt then you don't need to power wash it, just did one last weekend

 

Would you mind posting a picture?

 

I bought a metal tub, double propane burner and added dawn soap and borax. Boiled for 1.5 hrs then took out to power wash put back in with just dawn n fresh water n boiled for 1hr, took out n power washed. Once dry I used that peroxide hair lightener stuff(somthing 40), to bleach. Turned out fantastic

 

Unless you are in a hurry. We learned the easy way...just let the head sit in a 5 gallon bucket of water until late Spring/early Summer. In Illinois the water usually freezes and you need to keep animals away from it so just putting a garbage can over top will do or if he's really big we've cut down a 55 gal plastic barrel. As Spring and warm weather comes the bugs, nautral things do their job and you need to add water as it evaporates. When you can pull the head out and things are really dripping off and bugs have done the job. A quick fast wash with mild power washer does the job; does not take much mostly to get the brains out. You may have to prop the antlers out of the water so they do not stain. Just found this method to be better. Do not have to stain skull after either comes out nice and naural white.

 

Maceration does work well, especially at keeping the spiral olfactory bones in tact, but it leaves a lot of time for the fats to absorb into the bone, so it’s more difficult to get everything white, if that’s the look one is after.

 

I got an aluminum pot at a garage sale... looks like a commercial grade older one... should fit in perfectly and the rim holds up the antlers. Aside from that...I set my on my side burner for my grill. Let's it simmer nicely for as long as I need. I used to simmer pull it out and remove what I could then back in... and so on. But that took hours and I'm impatient. I now boil it quickly trim what I can... another quick boil and then I bungee it to a fence post and use a pressure washer. I sacrifice the cartilage but it cuts my time by more than half.

 

Here's mine:

 

The best instruction I’ve come across on homemade euro mounts (for me, anyway) has been from watching Whitebone Creations channel on YouTube. Simple, straight forward approach that results in gorgeous euros. And nicely done videos!

 

I have a friend who teaches animal chiropracty, who has dermestids (flesh eating beetles). Does wonders for any skull including deer and bear or whatever.

 

Never new the heating trick with schedule 40

I wrap bases with Saran and Electrical tape , simmer in dawn liquid soap and clean skull periodically removing scum from the skull as well as the water . Once cleaned and dried, I brush the sch40 and let sit overnight. Redo do if not white enough .

 

Fill up a pot with just enough water to cover the skull. Add a few drops of dawn and 2 teaspoons of borax. After bringing the water to a rolling boil, dump it out and take the head to someone with beetles. Crack a beer and smile knowing that you didn't blast yourself with rotten flesh and brain matter using a pressure washer after you boiled it for 2 hours.

 

Mountain Mike skull kit, sawzall, drill screwdriver. Done. Lol no fuss, no muss

 

Always cut the hide off the head and pull the eyeballs. Removing the brain is just as important. That can be done quickly with a folded in half clothes hanger.

Put borax and dawn dish soap in your boiling water. The borax is a drying agent. You can have your head completely defleshed in a couple hours with no pressure washer. Use pliars and picks to remove the meat and you can spray with a normal hose. Remove nasal bones completely. A BRASS wire brush will work wonders. Put borax on stubborn areas and rub it in. This will dry those areas and allow them to co

The very tiny pieces of flesh will be burned off with the 40 volume peroxide.

Put a grocery bag over each antler and tape around the base. Apply 40 volume CREAM, wrap in seran wrap and let sit for 24 hours. Pull seran wrap off and rinse. Let dry in sun if possible. Finished.

anywhere the peroxide touches will turn white.So it’s best to completely cover antlers through all of this.

Besides the whitening part, it should take no more than 3 hours to clean the skull.